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June 1, 2013

The Shadow is Nature's Own Picture

This was the belief of early Quakers who refused to have their images drawn or painted and preferred to be remembered by their deeds alone. Over time testimonies against portraiture relaxed within the Religious Society of Friends and simple profile depictions of individuals, especially "shadow pictures"--silhouettes cut from black paper--gained in popularity, filling family albums and decorating the walls of mainly urban Quaker homes in England and America.

Cutting silhouettes (called "paper art") was a popular hobby among English Quakers by 1800 and was practiced at home on an amateur basis. One amateur who became a prolific silhouette producer in England was the physician Thomas Pole who learned the craft in Philadelphia before he moved to England to practice medicine. Samuel Metford of Glastonbury was the first English Quaker to become a professional silhouette artist. He, too, learned the craft in America while there on business, and traveled throughout England from the 1830s through the 1860s visiting Quaker Meeting houses whose members formed a large number of his clientele.

Silhouette of Quaker John Fothergill in a wig, a noted Quaker physician and

founder in 1779 of the Ackworth School near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. (c) Religious

Society of Friends in Britain. Courtesy of the Friend's House Library.

The Quaker fondness of silhouettes was also found in the New World in the late 18th century where their production was viewed as an amateur household past time in keeping with Quaker ideas of thrift and plainness. Joseph Samson ((1757-1826) of Philadelphia became a prominent, amateur silhouette artist employed by many Quakers to produce images of their family members. Quaker William Henry Brown (1808-1882) of Charleston, South Carolina, became a professional silhouette artist who portrayed many celebrities of the eastern seaboard but whose clientele seems not to have included Friends. But, the French master silhouette artist, Augustin Edouart, recorded the profiles of American Quakers of the 1840s in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Wilmington and kept duplicates of these images in a Quaker folio. These images have been reproduced and now rest in private hands and in museums in Britain, Canada, and America. A folio of these images is held at the Friend's Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

Silhouette of Susan Talbott Walker (1793-1872) by an unknown American artist.

Collection of Mary Holton Robare. (You can see a later photograph of Susan and a

linen attributed to her in our post of September 9, 2012.)

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Silhouettes depicting profile images have remained popular in America. We remember drawing silhouette profiles as children in grade school classes and seeing framed silhouettes hanging on the walls of our homes and those of friends and relatives as we grew up. Silhouette profiles have often been used as motifs for quilting projects as well. We featured a quilt from the Third Haven Friends Meeting on May 17, 2012 that included a silhouette block. More recently, we discovered a quilt made by Victoria Findlay Wolfe and others to raise funds for her daughter's Quaker school. The quilt, shown below, features the profile images of students at the Friends Seminary in New York.

Professional silhouette artists continue to practice their special skill in countries around the world. While Lynda and her husband were in Rome in 1996, they saw a flyer for an exhibit of silhouette art at Bibli in the Trastevere and decided to attend it late on a rainy afternoon. The exhibit was extensive and the opportunity to see a professional "paper artist" cutting silhouettes on-the-spot with small scissors in hand without the use of tracings or other drawings was indeed remarkable.

Flyer advertising the silhouette exhibit at the Bibli in the Trastevere, Rome. Collection of

Lynda Salter Chenoweth.

Silhouette of Lynda Salter Chenoweth bundled up on a rainy afternoon with

umbrella in hand. Collection of Lynda Salter Chenoweth.

Our thanks to the Religious Society of Friends in Britain for permission to use the silhouettes from the Friend's House Library.

1 comment:

I've been following your blog for a little while now and I must say: it's excellent and so informative. This piece on silhouettes is a case in point. My family's religious tradition, so to speak, is partly Quaker and, as I get older, I find myself getting more and more interested in the Quakers (and various anabaptist groups).

Ann Hanna Hambleton

Ann was the mother-in-law of Philena Cooper Hambleton, the subject of Philena's Friendship Quilt: A Quaker Farewell to Ohio, and the great-aunt of Senator Marcus Hanna of Ohio.

American Quilt Study Group

Do you know about the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG)? If not, you should. The purpose of this non-profit organization is to establish, sustain, and promote the highest standards for quilt related studies, to encourage these studies, and to provide opportunities to disseminate the work of both academic and non-academic researchers. Membership in the AQSG entitles one to receive Uncoverings, an annual journal of the research papers presented at AQSG's yearly Seminar, and a quarterly publication titled Blanket Statements containing research papers, notes and queries, as well as AQSG and quilt world news. In addition, an annual directory is provided that lists the names, contact information, and interests of current AQSG members--a valuable networking resource that gives access to approximately 950 fellow quilt enthusiasts. Click on the quilt block above to visit AQSG's web site and learn how to become a member. The site also provides information about the organization's annual Seminar, its publication opportunities, its Quilt Study program, and the Technical Guides and other publications available to members and the general public. AQSG is also on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Quilt-Study-Group/149056808116.

Quaker Quilts: Snapshots from an Exhibition

This pamphlet by Mary Holton Robare contains photographic and informational snapshots of quilts that were displayed in a three-day exhibit of Quaker Quilts held at Abram's Delight Museum in Winchester, Virginia, in 2014. The exhibit featured twenty-six quilts made between ca. 1840 and 2007. Click on the image to learn more about it.

Quilts and Quaker Heritage

Mary Holton Robare's book on selected quilts from an exhibition at the Virginia Quilt Museum in 2008. Click on the book to order and search by title.

Philena's Friendship Quilt: A Quaker Farewell to Ohio

In this 4th publication of the Ohio Quilt Series published by Ohio University Press, Lynda Salter Chenoweth presents the story of Philena Cooper Hambleton and the quilt made for her in Ohio in 1853 to take with her when she migrated to Iowa. To order, click on the book and then search by title.

Neighbors and Friends: Quakers in Community

Lynda Salter Chenoweth's second book based on her research into Philena's quilt tells the stories of those whose names appear on the quilt and places their lives in context. To order, click on the book and then search by title.

When This You See Remember Me

Also of interest by Mary Holton Robare. Schoolgirl Samplers of Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia. To order, click on the book, click "Store", then "Softcover Books" and search on title.

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Copyright

(c) 2011-2017 Lynda Salter Chenoweth and Mary Holton Robare. Absolutely no reproduction or distribution permitted beyond one copy for personal study. For additional permissions regarding text please e-mail lchen@saber.net. All images are reproduced with permission of copyright holders. Any commercial or online use is strictly forbidden.

Lynda Salter Chenoweth

Mary Holton Robare

About Us

Lynda and Mary are quilt historians experienced in researching and publishing information about quilts made by members of the Religious Society of Friends. Their particular interest is in 19th century inscribed quilts that document Quaker families and their communities.
Lynda lives in Sonoma,California, and is a writer, a quilter, a researcher, and a member of the Board of the American Quilt Study Group. Mary lives in Winchester, Virginia, and is a writer, a researcher, and a choreographer and dance instructor.